Falantan Planetary Defense Network
The Falantan Planetary Defense Network is a network of underground nuclear ICBM sites scattered across Falanta that launch nuclear missiles at hostile ships. It was installed with help from the KyleLandians stationed on Falanta in order to protect them from WolvesLandian space assaults. Background Shortly after the Falantan Civil War was won, the KyleLandians noticed that Delteros had recently become a WolvesLandian protectorate. Knowing that mere AA guns and rockets won’t do much damage to modern spacecraft, they scavenged factories used by the Falantan Confederation and realized that they, for whatever reason, were mass-producing intercontinental ballistic missiles with nuclear warheads. They managed to make over 500 of them, and they weren’t weak; one of them could destroy one or even 2 large cities without much effort. What was more confusing, however, was the fact that they weren’t used immediately after they were produced, and how they still had functioning warheads. Sure, they couldn’t gain access to the capital warships of their own yet, but they had the next best thing. The KyleLandians already knew that the destructive power of a nuclear warhead was more than enough to punch a big hole in a spacecraft, if it wouldn’t have already been destroyed from the initial explosion. In addition, protectorates are usually given older models of warships that their benefactors no longer need, making it more likely that their hulls were not designed with direct nuclear strikes in mind. Rocket Analysis The rockets escape the atmosphere in stage 1, escape orbit and locate its target in stage 2, and explode its target in stage 3. They are designed very simply and cost-effectively, with only 3 boosters to cut down on expenses taxing the post-war cleanup. It’s easy to tell that it is somewhat experimental. The rocket itself works fine; there’s nothing special about it. However, there’s a piece of equipment that prevents the rocket from being detected by its target, and it’s pretty hit-and-miss. Once the rocket finds its target, though, it’s already too late. There isn’t much a crew can do to stop it once it has targeted an enemy vessel, aside from trying to get a few lucky shots off on it which causes it to detonate prematurely and somewhat safely. Also, the maintenance crews who keep the rockets in working order like to add funny or mildly intimidating messages to the warhead. These include... * “WLR GO HOME” (as seen in the picture) * “In case of WLR invasion, break glass” * “To Brendan Wolves, love ErrorLandia” * “Hey, Brendan! Surprise for you!” * “Survived winter? Now survive ''nuclear ''winter!” * “War ain’t for maggots like the Wolves!” * “You have an armada? Well we have nukes!” It’s a tradition as old as time and just goes to show the effort they put into demoralizing their enemies. Weaknesses In order for the P.D.N. to launch the rockets, all 4 of the Control Complexes need to transmit the “green light” code. It simply comes with the responsibility of nuclear weapons; the power to destroy themselves shouldn’t be put in the hands of a 2-year old. However, this also means that if one of the complexes are unsuccessfully defended and overrun in a suprise attack, the rockets will not fire. This was shown in the WLR invasion of Falanta that would come later. Trivia * The rocket was designed off of a simple Mun rocket in Kerbal Space Program.